Disposable water resistant protective cover cast and wound sites

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for use as a liquid barrier includes an enclosure comprising a supported front sheet and a back sheet, said enclosure made of a flexible, liquid impervious material, the back face having a periphery in the interior of the back face that defines an opening; and an adhesive layer extending along the periphery of the back face for securing the periphery onto a body part, wherein the periphery is positioned and sized to define an opening that can accommodate a body part to be shielded from liquid.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to barriers for inhibiting liquid contactwith a wound site, cast or other body site. In particular, the barriersmay be used to protect parts of a person's body that are, for example,covered with a dressing or a cast from becoming wet when showering orbathing, and is based upon Provisional Application No. 61/870,922, filed8 Aug. 2013, incorporated herewith.

BACKGROUND

Generally, when a person having a wound with a medical dressing or acast is to shower or bath, a water impervious barrier such as plasticsheeting is used to cover the area. A typical form of dressing is theuse of a garbage bag or plastic grocery bag, tied, rubber-banded ortaped at the opening in an attempt to create a waterproof covering. Tapeis often used to seal the edges in an attempt to make the area airtightor waterproof. Such arrangements tend to leak, particularly when thewound is at a location where bending or movement of the body occurs.Frequently, these methods are ineffective at best and potentiallyharmful to the wearer at worst and render the item useless after asingle use.

Liquid barriers have been described that use elastic bands to create awater barrier. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,290,290. Often, it is used asa strip, wrapped around the limb, similar to the use of a tourniquet. Inaddition to not always forming a water tight seal, this approach tousing elastic could be harmful to the wearer if overtightened or left ontoo long, particularly by those wearers with diseases, such as diabetes,who have circulatory problems.

Liquid barriers also have been described that use adhesive strips toform a watertight seal. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,282. The barrieris a single sheet open on all sides, which may allow water to flow underthe sheet and to interfere with the adhesive, thereby causing water tocome in contact with the wound.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a disposable water resistant protective cover isdescribed. The device is particularly useful as protective sleeves forbodily extremities and or wound sites located on the torso. The deviceuses a water resistant material and a water tight seal to excludemoisture and keep body parts dry. The device uses an adhesive sealingstrip located near the opening allowing enclosure of bodily extremitiesand or the torso to be protected. One of the features of this device isthat wounds and or surgical dressings located on the torso can becovered and protected from moisture. Traditional waterproof coveringscannot accommodate wounds or surgical incisions located on the torso andprovide little protection from water.

The disposable water resistant protective cover is intended to bedisposable and can be discarded after use. This is preferable to thesame cover being reused, as repeated use of a device that is used inwater runs the risk of harboring mildew, bacteria and othermicroorganisms that could be harmful to the user.

In one aspect, a protective cover for use as a liquid barrier has anenclosure including a front sheet and a back sheet, the enclosure madeof a flexible, liquid impervious material, the back sheet having aperiphery in the interior of the back sheet that defines an opening; andan adhesive layer extending along an inner surface of the periphery ofthe back sheet for securing the periphery onto a body part, wherein theperiphery is positioned and sized to define an opening that canaccommodate a body part to be shielded from liquid.

In one or more embodiments, the front and back sheets are sealed alongtheir edges with a liquid impervious seal.

In one or more embodiments, the front sheet is integral with the backsheet along two opposing sides, thereby forming a tube and the opposingedges are sealed with a liquid impervious seal.

In one or more embodiments, the protective cover further includes anadhesive backing disposed over the adhesive layer.

In one or more embodiments, the protective cover further includes amoisture indicator disposed in the interior of the enclosure.

In one or more embodiments, the protective cover further includes anantimicrobial agent disposed in the interior of the enclosure.

In one or more embodiments, the front face is capable of being spacedapart from the back face when in use.

In one or more embodiments, the cover is attachable to the torso of abody.

In one or more embodiments, the cover is attachable to a joint of abody.

In one or more embodiments, the cover comprises a gusset along at leastone edge that joins the front and back sheets.

In another aspect, a protective sleeve for use as a liquid barrierincludes an enclosure made of a flexible, liquid impervious materialhaving an opening dimensioned for accommodating a body part; an adhesivelayer extending along a periphery extending along the opening of theenclosure; an adhesive backing disposed over the adhesive layer; and amoisture indicator disposed in the interior of the enclosure.

In one or more embodiments, the protective cover further includes anantimicrobial agent disposed in the interior of the enclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures are provided for the purpose of illustration onlyand are not intended to be limiting.

FIG. 1 depicts a plan view of a water impervious protective coveraccording to one or more embodiments showing the side to be against auser body part, such as a torso or knee.

FIG. 2 depicts a plan view of the water impervious protective cover ofFIG. 1 showing the side facing away from the user; dashed lines indicatefeatures viewable through the thickness of a transparent plastic sheet.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the a water impervious protectivecover of FIGS. 1 and 2 along line a-a′. FIG. 3A represents various otherembodiments of the water protective cover.

FIG. 4 is a photograph of an exemplary protective wound dressingaccording to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a water impervious protectiveincluding gusseted edges to provide additional freedom of movement.

FIG. 6 depicts a method of use of the water impervious protectivecoating according to one or more embodiments, in which the barrier isapplied to a human knee.

FIG. 7 depicts a water impervious protective cover according to one ormore embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a water impervious strip for usewith the water impervious protective cover of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The current invention provides a disposable, affordable design that willoffer protection for the wearer from harmful or damaging fluids,moisture or other contaminants. This invention can be used for theprotection of casts, IVs, surgery sites, burns, rashes, dressings,wounds, amputations, vaccines, tattoos, etc., but not limited to medicaluses.

The various aspects of the invention can be prepared from flexiblepolymer films that have a thickness and a durability that provides easeof movement by the user, and toughness sufficient to prevent tearing orother damage during use. Exemplary flexible polymer films include thosemade of low density polyethylene or polypropylene having for example athickness in the range of 0.001-0.050 mils and preferably about 0.002mils. The polymer film can be cut into any desired shape and can be madeair tight, for example, by heat sealing the edges.

FIGS. 1-3 depict views of one embodiment of water impervious protectivecover 100 that can be applied to a body surface of a user. FIG. 1 is aplan view of the protective cover 100 from the side contacting the user,while FIG. 2 is a plan view of the protective cover 100 from the sidefacing away from the user. Dashed lines shown in FIG. 2 indicatefeatures viewable through the thickness of a transparent plastic sheet.FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view as viewed along line a-a′ shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. Like numbering is used to indicate like elements in allfigures.

The protective cover includes a first flexible sheet 110 and a secondflexible sheet 120 that are joined along the edges in a water tightseal. The sheets 110 and 120 can optionally be transparent, so that itis possible to view the interior of the protective cover. Flexible sheet110 contains an opening 130 that provides access to the interior of theprotective cover. The protective cover also includes an adhesive layer140 that is secured around opening 130. The adhesive layer is relativeflexible and bendable. The adhesive can be formed of non-allergenicadhesives, as are known in the art. The adhesive can be selected from aclass of adhesives that are non-permanent and that cause little or nopain to the user upon removal. Exemplary adhesives are of medical gradeor hypoallergenic and are adhesive to the polymer sheets used as theprotective layer. Exemplary adhesives include double sided Red AdhesivePouch tabbing tape, ME D 3044 (available from Universal Tape). Theadhesive layer also has an adhesive backing 150 made of nonstick or lowstick material. The adhesive backing 150 protects the adhesive layerduring storage, but can be readily removed to expose the adhesive layerin preparation for use.

In use, the adhesive backing 150 is removed to expose the adhesive layerand the protective cover 100 is applied to an area of the body bypressing the exposed adhesive layer onto the body, starting first at oneedge or side and moving around the opening. In some embodiments, theprotective cover can have more than one adhesive backing, each coveringonly a portion of the adhesive layer. Such backings can be removed oneat a time, so that only a portion of the adhesive layer is exposed atany one time.

FIG. 4 is a photograph of an exemplary protective wound dressingaccording to one or more embodiments. The opening is of a size thatcovers wound or wound dressing. The protective cover can be providedhaving an opening in a range of sizes ranging from small, e.g., 1 cm×1cm, to large, e.g., 10 cm×10 cm, or for example having a surface area of1 cm² to 100 cm², although larger or smaller areas are contemplated. Inaddition, the flexible cover may be sufficiently thin that it ispossible to enlarge the opening by cutting. Because the protectivecovering is made of two layers that are separable from one another, theycan be adjusted to prevent contact of the wound with plastic sheeting.In addition, the two polymer layers allow for movement, e.g., bending,of the protected body part without imposing strain on the protectivecover. In one or more embodiments, the protective cover can includegusseted edges, as is shown in FIG. 5, to provide additional freedom ofmovement for the user. FIG. 6 is an illustration of the protective coverapplied to the user's knee. The adhesive layer is sufficient wide andflexible to provide a sealing contact that encircles and seals the knee.However, the protective cover can be adjusted to be spaced apart fromthe knee itself, so that the wound does not come into direct contactwith the cover and to provide enough room for flexing and bending of theknee.

In another aspect of the invention, the protective cover is in the formof a sleeve 200 that is made up of materials similar to the flexiblesheeting 110 and 120 (hereinafter referred to as the “protectivesleeve”), as is illustrated in FIG. 7. One edge is left unsealed toprovide an opening for the entrance of a limb or other body part. Theprotective sleeve includes a first flexible sheet 210 and a secondflexible sheet 220 (not shown) that are joined at the edges 215 in awater tight seal along three sides. The fourth side 230 remains open toallow it to receive a limb of a person. The sheets 210 and 220 canoptionally be transparent, so that it is possible to view the interiorof the protective cover.

The protective sleeve also includes an adhesive layer 240 that issecured around the opening 230 along one edge of sleeve. The adhesivelayer is relative flexible and bendable. The adhesive can be formed ofnon-allergenic adhesives, as are known in the art. The adhesive can beselected from a class of adhesives that are non-permanent and that causelittle or no pain to the user upon removal. The adhesive layer also hasan adhesive backing 250 made of nonstick or low stick material. Theadhesive backing 250 protects the adhesive layer during storage, but canbe readily removed to expose the adhesive layer in preparation for use.For ease of use, the adhesive backing can include a tab 260 for graspingand removal of the backing.

In use, a limb of the user is inserted into the open end of protectivesleeve 200. A portion of the adhesive backing is removed (or theadhesive backing can be provided in multiple sections for this purpose),and the exposed adhesive layer is contacted with the user's limb.Additional adhesive backing is removed to continue to contact the limb,until an adhesive seal around the limb has been formed. If the openingis larger than the limb, the opposing excessive edges can be pressedtogether to complete the seal.

In order to assure that the seal is completely watertight, and additionprotective strip 300 can be applied over the seal, as shown in FIG. 8.The sheet includes an adhesive strip 310 with a water impervious polymerbase 320. The adhesive layer also has an adhesive backing (not shown)made of nonstick or low stick material. The adhesive backing protectsthe adhesive layer during storage, but can be readily removed to exposethe adhesive layer in preparation for use. For ease of use, the adhesivebacking can include a tab for grasping and removal of the backing.

In use, the protective cover is applied to a user's limb of a person.The open end is placed about a limb of a person. The adhesive backing isremoved and the adhesive is contacted with the skin of the user. Theopen end can be folded to bring opposing adhesive that is not contactingthe skin in contact to form a seal, the sealed flap can be wrappedaround the limb and secured with the adhesive tab. To provide an extrameasure of protection from water leakage, the protective strip iswrapped around the seal formed between the limb and the protectivecover.

In one or more embodiments, the protective cover can include a colorindicator that changes color with increase in moisture. The colorindicator would serve as an early indicator that the interior is wet.Contact indicator tapes such as are available from 3M are self-adhesivefilm/paper laminate constructions that change color from white to redwhen contacted by liquid water. They provide a fast, accurate and easyway to positively detect water intrusion. In other embodiments, themoisture detector can be applied directly to the inside of theprotective barrier during manufacture of the bag.

In one or more embodiments, the protective cover can include ananti-microbial agent in protective cover interior. Casts and wounddressings are in constant contact with surfaces that are dirty andcontain potentially harmful microorganisms. The damp environment of thebath is a good growth environment for such microorganisms and the use ofan antimicrobial agent will help reduce proliferation of infections anddiseases. Any antimicrobial agent used in the treatment of medicalequipment and medical disposables can be used. The antimicrobial agentcan be applied to the interior surface of the protective cover duringmanufacture.

As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from a readingof this disclosure, the disclosed subject matter can be embodied informs other than those specifically disclosed above. The particularembodiments described above are, therefore, to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art willrecognize, or be able to ascertain, using no more than routineexperimentation, numerous equivalents to the specific embodimentsdescribed herein. The scope of the invention is as set forth in theappended claims and equivalents thereof, rather than being limited tothe examples contained in the foregoing description.

FIG. 3A depicts a further embodiment of the flexible sheet 122, shown incross-section wherein a plurality of spaced apart ribs 124 are moldedtherein to provide structure and the ability of a sheet 122 to be spacedapart from a wound site. The ribs 124 may be of concentric orientationor linear and in parallel alignment with one another to act as rigidityinducing members to as to keep the sheet 122 from touching a wound. Inyet a further embodiment shown also in FIG. 3A, an inlet port 126 may bearranged for receipt of a pressure inducing flexible-sheet-establishedwound enclosure chamber 128. The pressure chamber 128 in one preferredembodiment may be part of a system in which the chamber/sleeve mayreceive a generated inflation inducing pressure (gas filled) byinsertion of and actuation of an inlet-port-piercing pressure canister132. The object being spacing the flexible sheet 120/122 away from awound site by controlled pressurization thereunder and/or with the sheetsupporting ribs 124. A controlled fluid drain and/or pressure reliefvalve/duck bill valve 134 may be arranged through the sheet 122/124 todischarge any undesired fluids or excess vapors beyond that needed tokeep the sheets 122/124 from touching a wound or treatment area 135. Inan further embodiment with respect to the ribs 124, such ribs may beapplied during sheet application, as a cutable, distortable,pinchable/foldable, site-dependent “applique” to the inner side or theouter side of a flexible sheet 122, so as to be more “personalized” asto configuration on a particular wound site 135. Such pressure canister132 may be filled with medicaments and treatment fluids/gases forfurther wound treatment. In another embodiment, such ribs 124 may be ofshape memory metal, such as for example, nitinol, which shapes itselfaccording to temperature, which may be particularly desirable during awound protecting/covering or a wound treating operation. Such a shapememory (nitinol) rib arrangement wound permit controlled spacing when apatient was showering or bathing to facilitate sheet 122/124 supportaway from a wound site.

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective cover for use as a liquid barrier,comprising: an enclosure comprising a front sheet and a back sheet, saidenclosure made of a flexible, liquid impervious material, the back sheethaving a periphery in the interior of the back sheet that defines anopening; and an adhesive layer extending along an inner surface of theperiphery of the back sheet for securing the periphery onto a body part,wherein the periphery is positioned and sized to define an opening thatcan accommodate a body part to be shielded from liquid.
 2. Theprotective cover of claim 1, wherein the front and back sheets aresealed along their edges with a liquid impervious seal.
 3. Theprotective cover of claim 1, wherein the front sheet is integral withthe back sheet along two opposing sides, thereby forming a tube and theopposing edges are sealed with a liquid impervious seal.
 4. Theprotective cover of claim 1, wherein the protective cover furthercomprises an adhesive backing disposed over the adhesive layer.
 5. Theprotective cover of claim 1, further comprising a moisture indicatordisposed in the interior of the enclosure.
 6. The protective cover ofclaim 1, further comprising an antimicrobial agent disposed in theinterior of the enclosure.
 7. The protective cover of claim 1, whereinthe front face is capable of being spaced apart from the back face whenin use.
 8. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the cover isattachable to the torso of a body.
 9. The protective cover of claim 1,wherein the cover is attachable to a joint of a body.
 10. The protectivecover of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises a gusset along at leastone edge that joins the front and back sheets.
 11. A protective sleevesystem for use as a liquid barrier, comprising: an enclosure made of aflexible, liquid impervious material having an opening dimensioned foraccommodating a body part; an adhesive layer extending along a peripheryextending along the opening of the enclosure; an adhesive backingdisposed over the adhesive layer; and a moisture indicator disposed inthe interior of the enclosure.
 12. The protective sleeve system of claim11, further comprising an antimicrobial agent disposed in the interiorof the enclosure.
 13. The protective sleeve system of claim 11,including a plurality of spaced apart support ribs arranged supportivelytherewith.
 14. The protective sleeve system of claim 13, wherein thesupport ribs are molded into the sleeve.
 15. The protective sleevesystem of claim 13, wherein the support ribs are arranged as sheetsupporting concentric circles.
 16. The protective sleeve system of claim13, wherein the support ribs are arranged in a sheet supporting, spacedapart parallel line formation.
 17. The protective sleeve system of claim13, wherein the protective sleeve is controllably pressurizable by apressurized, sleeve-piercing fluid canister, and wherein the sleeve hasa pressure relief valve therewith to discharge excess fluid/liquid. 18.The protective sleeve system of claim 13, wherein the ribs are formed ofshape memory metal.
 19. The protective sleeve system of claim 13,wherein the ribs are applied to the sleeve as an applique onto an outerside of the sleeve.
 20. The protective sleeve system of claim 13,wherein the ribs are formable and malleable so as to structurallydistort the sleeve away from a wound site.